It is well known to use extraction tools to remove threaded fasteners that have been damaged. Typically, these tools are either used in conjunction with a socket wrench, or else a wrench may be placed around the periphery of a squared end of the extraction tool in order to apply torque to remove the damaged fastener. These tools typically have “teeth” made up of angled faces to engage an opening in the damaged fastener. Extraction tools having scraping edges instead of teeth have also been used to remove fasteners, using a drill to drive the extraction bit into the end of the fastener and then reversing the drill to remove the fastener.
Extraction tools having teeth to engage the damaged fastener typically are designed to be attached to a wrench on one end, and to engage the fastener at the other end. These extraction tools are usually designed for placement in a pre-drilled hole within the end of the damaged fastener and then using the wrench or other tool, including a drill, to remove the fastener. Exchanging tools in the wrench or other tool can be cumbersome and time-consuming.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a fastener extractor that can be quickly inserted and removed from an extraction tool using a quick-release attachment end which overcomes one or more of the disadvantages of using a standard square end on a fastener extractor.